Computers are customarily provided with sheet metal cage structures that contain a mother card connected to a back plane. A back plane is a circuit board or framework that supports other circuit boards, devices, and the interconnections among devices, and provides power and data signals to supported devices. The mother card is the main circuit card in the computer which connects to the back plane of the logic board. The computer cage structure is adapted to receive and removably support at least one and preferably a plurality of options or daughter cards which when operatively installed in their associated cage structure, upgrade the operating capabilities of the computer. A standard containing enclosure protects the individual daughter cards and facilitates the easy insertion and removal of the daughter cards from a mother card (mother board) or back plane slot. These daughter cards may be installed in the computer during the original manufacture of the computer and or subsequently installed by the computer purchaser.
A daughter card is a relatively small rectangular printed circuit having a connecter along one side edge. The mother card or system back plane slot has a socket connector. The daughter card connector plugs into a corresponding socket connector of the mother card to operatively couple the daughter card to the mother card or system back plane slot.
Some manufactures have improved, in limited ways, the serviceability and accessibility of the mother card by implementing a daughter card cage enclosure (chassis). Unfortunately, however, daughter card enclosures limit the card density that is attainable within a particular computer cage structure (housing). In such daughter card enclosures, the daughter card is mounted within a removable card enclosure. This removable card enclosure allows for daughter card installation or removal when the enclosure is installed or removed from the computer cage structure. The enclosure itself inevitably requires space, and the computer cage structure is limited, thus as stated, such enclosures limit the number of daughter cards capable of being installed.
One drawback is the limit of only one daughter card enclosure per mother card enclosure. Having only one daughter card per mother card enclosure limits the technology options available to the system user. Accordingly, there exists a need for a card insertion and removal system of improved construction.
An exemplary embodiment is a method and apparatus for a multiple card enclosure. The multiple card enclosure is arranged for mounting a mother card enclosure and a daughter card enclosure and at least another daughter card enclosure. The mother card enclosure has a first and second daughter card enclosure removably inserted into the mother card enclosure for connecting the first and second daughter card with the mother card. The first daughter card enclosure and the second daughter card enclosure are independently removable to facilitate interchanging the first daughter card and the second daughter card. The daughter card enclosures connected to the mother card enclosure are enclosed in the multiple card enclosure and the mother card connects to a back plane connector of a logic board.